AAAS Analysis Finds Mixed News in White House R&D Budget

While the proposed 2009 federal budget proposed by President George W. Bush would boost the government's overall investment in research and development, support for basic and applied research along with key environmental and agricultural budgets would decline in constant dollars, warned AAAS's top budget expert.

The overall R&D increase would be driven by spending for development of missile defense systems and new NASA spacecraft. But by cutting research at agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS), and flat-lining support for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) even as it supports large increases for three key physical sciences agencies, the administration is shifting federal investments from critical programs that foster innovation and U.S. competitiveness, said Kei Koizumi, director of the AAAS R&D Budget Program.

"At a time when nations like China, South Korea, and Japan are increasing their government research investments, it's disappointing that federal research spending is falling instead of expanding," he said at the 13 March briefing on Capitol Hill. "If these trends continue, the U.S. could lose its innovative edge in the future."

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